Cooking with Wild Game (LN) - Volume 15 - Chapter 1.3

3

The giba curry I had created really did earn a wide variety of reactions.

Since I had held back quite a bit on the spiciness, it fortunately hadn’t gotten any complaints on that front, but there were definitely a number of negative impressions like “It seems to be lacking something,” “Your stew is tastier,” and “I’d prefer it with more meat.” However, nobody said that it was bad. In fact, just like with dishes using chitt seeds, I even got the comment “I kinda want to eat more, somehow.”

It seemed possible that as I improved the dish, the people of the forest’s edge would start to see it as delicious too. And so with those feelings firmly in mind, the day’s study session came to a close.

And then...

“Ooh, what’s this? What an unusual smell wafting through the air!”

A certain someone had suddenly burst into the kitchen. It was the head of the main Rutim house, Dan Rutim. Thanks to an injured right ankle, he was taking a break from hunting giba, which was why he was able to once again show up at the main Ruu house’s kitchen.

“Hmm, so you’re thinking up another new dish?! Would you mind letting me give it a try too?” Dan Rutim asked, his big eyes sparkling with expectation as he stood there blocking the door.

There was still a bit of curry roux left in the pot, so I smiled back and replied, “Of course. It’s a bit unusual, so I don’t know whether or not it will be to your tastes. But please, go right ahead.”

“Thanks for that! Ah, Ruu women, is it all right if I enter the kitchen?”

“Yes, come in...”

Having gotten that permission from Vina Ruu, Dan Rutim hobbled inside with his cane.

“Hrmm, what a strange smell! But it makes me feel hungry too!”

I transferred the remaining giba curry to a plate, and the moment I held it out toward Dan Rutim, he grabbed it from me and gulped down a bite.

“Ah, delicious! Or...is it?”

“What do you think? I’d definitely like to hear your opinion.”

“I get the feeling it’s good! At the very least, I can’t imagine being disappointed if it was served for dinner! But I also can’t help but feel that it should be even tastier...”

“Because the aroma went and got your expectations up, maybe?”

“That’s right! This smell seems to have somehow enticed me!”

In that case, it should be possible to improve the taste and meet those expectations. And that thought raised my spirits even further.

“In that case, I’ll try my best to meet your expectations, so I hope you’ll give it another taste test in the near future.”

“I’m always ready to give your cooking a taste! And I just know you’ll make this one into something incredible!”

“So, what business brought you here today, clan head?” Ama Min Rutim asked him with a gentle smile.

“Ah.” He clapped his hands together at the reminder. “That’s right, I almost forgot! You see, I was bringing a Dom woman from up north down here. You mind if I call her in?”

Now that he mentioned it, I had heard something about the Ruu clan temporarily taking in a Dom woman. But I had been so busy with Myme and Mikel that I had completely forgotten all about it.

With a strained smile from being faced with Dan Rutim’s frank and earnest admission, Vina Ruu chimed in, “My... I feel bad for her, waiting outside. Please, call her in, Dan Rutim...”

“Right! You’ve got permission, so come on in!”

At that, a slender figure entered the kitchen. Before I could stop myself, my eyes opened wide when I saw her.

So this is what a Dom woman looks like, huh...?

She was a very tall woman, probably around ten centimeters taller than I was. And she wasn’t just tall, but sturdy too. Though she had a slender and elegant figure, her shoulders and upper arms were definitely muscular, and she had some real definition in her abs. Her thigh muscles were so well developed that her legs reminded me of a wild goat’s.

Still, I was already accustomed to seeing burly women thanks to Bartha. But that said, this Dom woman was more than just robust. She had some incredible womanly proportions to go with her strength. Perhaps because her back muscles and buttocks were so firm, her thin waist really stood out. And on top of that, to put it bluntly, she had a large chest. She was a size bigger than Ai Fa overall and looked even more muscular. Altogether, her beauty was akin to a powerful yet graceful wild leopard.

On top of that, she had a prominent nose and a chiseled face. Though her gaze was a bit too sharp, it didn’t detract from her good looks. Her black hair was pulled back high and tight, with a few seductive strands dangling down over her sharp cheekbones.

The Dom hunters wore giba skulls over their heads, but unsurprisingly that tradition didn’t seem to extend to the women. However, she did have an accessory made from giba ribs wrapped around her tight waist.

This was a woman with quite the impactful appearance. However, her gaze as she scanned everyone in the room seemed rather childish. I couldn’t help but get the feeling that despite her height and apparent maturity, she could be younger than I was.

“This is Lem Dom, the younger sister of Deek Dom, the head of his clan. She’ll be staying here at the Ruu settlement at least until the end of the northern clans’ break period, so look after her, all right?” Dan Rutim asked, while Lem Dom just quietly bowed her head.

Naturally, this must have been a matter that was discussed in advance. After all, the Ruu women looked totally at ease with the development.

“There’s quite a crowd gathered, but only Vina and Reina Ruu here are from the main Ruu house. That there is Bartha, a guest. And you’re from a Ruu branch house, right?”

“Yes. My name is Sheera Ruu.”

“Right! Then there’s my son’s wife Ama Min, our clan member Tsuvai, and Yamiru Lea from the Lea clan, who all fall under the Ruu. Then there’s Asuta of the Fa clan, and the Sudra and Deen women who help him out.”

“You’re Toor Deen, aren’t you? I rather enjoyed your cooking at the Jeen and Liddo wedding banquet,” Lem Dom finally spoke up.

Her voice had a strong and throaty tone, sounding both tough and coquettish at the same time. It really did fit her appearance perfectly.

“And Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai... I believe we’ve met several times at banquets before,” Lem Dom remarked, and then she broke out in a brazen smile. “Allow me to just say up front, I hate the two of you.”

That comment earned no response.

“You have already been judged for your past crimes, so I have no intention of attacking you for them. But you were members of the main Suun house, which deceived the clans under them for over ten years. That’s why I have to warn you in advance that I will never be able to bring myself to like either of you.”

“Right, well, it’s up to you who you like or don’t, Lem Dom!” Dan Rutim interjected with a hearty chuckle as he peered at the Dom woman’s face. There couldn’t be more than just a few centimeters’ difference in height between them. “But these two no longer belong to the Suun, and Tsuvai here is a precious member of my clan. You can hate them if you want, just don’t go wishing any ill on them, you hear me?”

Despite the smile on his face, there was a glare in Dan Rutim’s eyes.

Meeting his gaze head on, Lem Dom nodded back, “Of course. That is why I wanted to bring up my feelings in advance. I may well act cold or curt towards them, but I want you to know that I have no intention of going against the will of the leading clan heads.”

“Hmm, you’re a puzzling one, aren’t you?” Dan Rutim chuckled. “But, well, I can’t say I hate straightforward folks like you. And if the opportunity presents itself, I’d love for you to someday discover the cuteness Tsuvai is hiding deep down!”

“You won’t find such a thing in me even if you turn me upside down and try to shake it out,” Tsuvai grumbled with a pout.

Meanwhile, Yamiru Lea remained expressionless, seemingly deciding to ignore Lem Dom’s declaration.

“Well then, looks like it’s about time for us to say our goodbyes. Tsuvai, Yamiru Lea, good work today,” I interjected before things got any more complicated.

It was then that Lem Dom’s black pupils turned my way. “Asuta of the Fa clan... If you don’t mind, could you allow me to accompany you to the Fa house?”

“Huh? But why?”

“I’ve come here to build up experience at manning the stove. With that in mind, wouldn’t receiving instructions directly from you prove to be the shortest path?” Lem Dom explained her reasoning with a smile. However, that thin grin felt more sarcastic than friendly.

“I don’t especially mind, but you’re a guest at the Ruu settlement, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I’ll return here on foot myself, so you needn’t worry. Or is there some sort of issue with that, Dan Rutim?”

“Hmm? No, I don’t think that should be a problem. Just make sure you get back by dinner so you can introduce yourself to the leading clan head Donda Ruu, all right?”

“Understood. Well then, I’m in your care, Asuta of the Fa Clan...”

“Right...”

I didn’t really get what was going on, but it seemed things had been decided. In any case, if she wanted to build up experience, then I’d give her as much of that as she pleased. After all, it was praiseworthy how she came all the way here to the Ruu settlement on her own to be instructed on how to man the stove.

Still, there was a bit of doubt remaining in my mind. And that was because when it came to light that Lem Dom would be visiting the Ruu settlement, Yamiru Lea and Toor Deen had whispered to each other, “Was there really a woman so passionate about manning the stove up north?”

Still, she was kind and gentle toward Toor Deen. Maybe she awakened to a passion for cooking after eating the food at that banquet, I optimistically thought to myself.

“All right, we’ll be excusing ourselves. Good work today, everyone.”

After saying farewell to the Ruu women, Bartha, and Ama Min Rutim (who would be staying over until tomorrow morning), we stepped outside. As for Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai, they were each heading back to their clans at roughly the same time.

As we walked around front together, Dan Rutim once more clapped his hands and proclaimed, “Oh, that’s right! I forgot something else important! Asuta, I’d like to have you man the Rutim stove four days from now, on the twenty-sixth of the black month. What do you say?”

“The Rutim stove? Of course I don’t mind, but what’s the occasion?”

“Well you see, it’s actually my birthday!” Leaning on his cane, Dan Rutim puffed out his potbelly. “From what I hear, you made wonderful meals for Lala and Tito Min Ruu’s birthdays! That’s why I wanted to ask you too!”

“Oh, I see. Happy birthday.”

“It’s too early to be saying that just yet! So do you accept the job?”

“Of course. I can’t see any reason to turn you down.”

We were set to do business on that day and the day after, but it would be doable if I economized my time a bit. That was exactly what I had done for Granny Tito Min’s birthday back in the ashen month, in fact.

“I owe you one! Now I’m even more excited for my birthday!” Dan Rutim proclaimed, his huge hand slapping me on the back. Despite him using enough strength that it felt like he’d pulverized my lungs, when I saw his smiling face I naturally grinned back. “Oh, right, Lem Dom, you can come along to my birthday banquet too if you want. The plan is to invite guests from all our related clans, so the Ruu should be able to carry you there and back in their wagon.”

“I’m honored, Dan Rutim,” Lem Dom politely responded with a bow. She had a sort of arrogant air about her in general, but apparently that didn’t extend to when she was addressing Dan Rutim.

I also picked up something I couldn’t ignore in that exchange. Specifically, it seemed this birthday party for the head of a clan would be on a different scale than Lala Ruu’s.

“So you’ll be inviting guests from outside of the Ruu clan? Exactly how many people are we talking about here?”

“Oh, it won’t be all that many. It’ll be two each from the Ruu and the clans under them for twelve, then twenty-seven members of the Rutim to bring the total to just thirty-nine! Then adding you, Ai Fa, and Lem Dom in, I guess that’d make it forty-two,” Dan Rutim calculated, before his expression started to show a bit of worry. “Now that you mention it, for Lala and Tito Min Ruu’s birthdays, it would have been just the members of the main house, right? Do the numbers make it a bit tricky?”

“No, I think if I ask a couple Ruu women to help out, we should be able to manage.”

“I see! In that case, I’m counting on you! Gazraan’s definitely been wanting to see you too.”

I hadn’t seen Gazraan Rutim at all over the course of the past month. Though I had heard he was doing well through Ama Min Rutim, I was definitely starting to miss him at this point.

“Well then, I’ll be looking forward to it!” he continued. “Let Ama Min know about any ingredients you’ll need!”

With one last hearty blow to my back, Dan Rutim got up atop his own totos, Mim Cha, who had been tied up in front of the house. He really did move smoothly for someone with an injured ankle.

“You can hop on too, Tsuvai! There’s still work to handle back home, after all!”

“Stop bugging me about that. I don’t like how the totos sways.”

“Stop complaining! You should learn the joy of feeling the breeze blowing past you on a totos’s back!”

With that, Dan Rutim snatched her up by the nape of her neck and sat her atop the giant bird. “Take care, you guys!” he shouted before disappearing like the wind.

“Err... Could you go ahead and get in the wagon, Lem Dom? And I have a bit of business with the Sudra clan, so we’ll be making a stop there on the way.”

“Of course. Do as you please,” she nodded, climbing into the wagon. Li Sudra and Toor Deen followed, leaving just me and Yamiru Lea standing there.

As I untied Gilulu from a nearby tree and fixed him to the wagon, Yamiru Lea gently slid in close.

“Asuta, you should exercise at least a modicum of caution when it comes to Lem Dom.”

“Huh? Why’s that?”

“Gulaf Zaza is coming to respect your strength, and I don’t expect the clans from up north would employ an underhanded sneak attack, so I wouldn’t assume she was sent here with wicked intentions. But I also don’t believe that woman is as passionate about manning the stove as she claims...”

“So you think she could mean some sort of harm for her own personal reasons?”

“It may not be something quite that terrible. But don’t you agree that it’s important to remain on guard against someone hiding their true intentions?” Yamiru Lea asked with an unamused grin. “I don’t believe she’s accustomed to lying or hiding her feelings. As a natural-born liar myself, I can tell quite clearly that she is pretending.”

“I think I’d rather say that you’re just really perceptive. There’s no need to put yourself down like that.”

“I believe it’s more that you think too highly of Tsuvai and myself. We’re not as pure and innocent as the members of the Ruu and Rutim, you know.”

“Yeah, but innocence isn’t everything. Even if it’s as you say, I still like you and Tsuvai and care about the two of you.”

She made an expression like she was holding herself back from clicking her tongue, and instead brushed aside her complexly woven hair.

“Exchanging words with you is quite tiring, Asuta. At any rate, at least take care that you don’t find yourself in trouble.”

“Thank you. Here’s to working with you again tomorrow, Yamiru Lea.”

As Yamiru Lea gracefully walked off on her own, I hopped up into the driver’s seat.

It was true that I couldn’t possibly tell what this Lem Dom woman was truly thinking, but I didn’t want to believe she was the sort of person who could do me or Ai Fa harm. Though her elder brother Deek Dom had an intimidating appearance, he was a man who stood alongside us during that incident at the meeting with Cyclaeus.

Now that I think about it, just how old is Deek Dom anyway? Maybe they’re siblings separated as far as Jiza and Rimee Ruu?

As my thoughts took that peaceful turn, I got the wagon moving.

◇

Our first stop was the Sudra settlement.

It was located roughly a ten-minute or so walk away from the Fa house. Although it wasn’t quite as close as the Fou or Ran, I still classified them as neighbors.

As of late, dropping Li Sudra off on the way back from the Ruu settlement had been part of the daily routine, plus for today I needed to meet with the girl who would be replacing her too.

“Ah, thank you for coming all this way, Asuta,” the Sudra clan head himself greeted me when we arrived.

Had he just returned from hunting? I saw other men carrying a giba dangling from a pole around to the rear of the house.

“Did Li already tell you everything? I’m ashamed to have to ask you to let another woman take over her job for such a reason.”

The middle-aged Sudra clan head was the smallest hunter I knew. He might have been even shorter than Reina Ruu, and his limbs and torso were all extremely thin. His dark brown hair was unruly and disheveled, and he had a wrinkly face.

I felt like the man had a sort of strength about him that was hard to describe, though. It had been his idea that the Fou and Beim clan heads should participate in the meetings held by the leading clan heads as representatives for the smaller clans. And just the other day, he had proposed that nearby clans should line up their break periods even if they didn’t have blood ties. Ultimately, both of those ideas were adopted.

Going even further back, he came out in firm support of the Fa clan’s actions at the clan head meeting, and was the most positive about the idea of learning bloodletting, dissection, and cooking techniques.

I even owed him my life. Back when I was taken hostage by Tei Suun, it was this man who had struck the blow that saved me. Though we hadn’t had much of a chance to see him lately, he was an important person to both me and Ai Fa.

As I tucked those thoughts away in the corner of my mind, I nodded back, “Right. I really am grateful that Li Sudra has thought far enough ahead to consider what needs to be done after she steps down. Oh, right, and congratulations.”

“Cut it out. I’m not used to people saying stuff like that to my face,” he shot back with a frown, his already wrinkly forehead wrinkling even further. However, it had turned a dark red around the edges of his eyes. “Besides, loaning you women earns us coins. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.”

“No, the Fou and Ran seem to have trouble making enough time for the task, so it really is a big help. Plus, you help out by supplying meat too, so if anything I haven’t been thanking you enough.”

The Sudra clan head really had been very supportive on that front too. From the end of the blue month till midway through the white month the Ruu and the clans under them were on a break period, which left us without a source of meat for our business in the meantime. Then the Fa, Fou, and Sudra had their break period in the following ashen month, which left me worrying a lot about where I was going to get meat from.

At the clan head meeting, the majority of the clans gave their approval for the Fa clan’s business. But of those clans, only the Fou, Ran, Sudra, Gaaz, and Ratsu had learned bloodletting and dissection techniques. Then later on the Deen and Liddo from under the Zaza added to that number, but they were located close enough to each other as well that their break periods ended up overlapping.

From that group, the Gaaz and Ratsu were fairly distant from the rest, so their break periods weren’t so close to the others. But precisely because they were so far away, Ai Fa hadn’t had much of a chance to give them instructions, which meant they were still inexperienced when it came to bloodletting and dissecting. Their level of skill at least provided enough for them to eat, but they weren’t well equipped to offer up extra to sell.

It was then that the Sudra clan head got in contact with the Fou and Ran and they worked together to more properly instruct the Gaaz, Ratsu, and their related clans on the necessary techniques. During the break period in the ashen month, they went out of their way to accompany those clans into the forest to carefully instruct them. Thanks to the meat those clans ended up providing in turn, we were able to keep on doing business in the post town even during the break period.

“But we’ve received even more from the Fa clan. So again, I really should be the one thanking you,” the Sudra clan head stubbornly insisted. “We’ve amassed a fortune of our own through Li’s work and by selling you meat. Thanks to that, we will no longer have to watch our infants go hungry... Asuta, I have lost children twice now to starvation.”

“Yes, I remember, of course.”

That was why the Sudra offered stronger support than anyone to the Fa clan’s goal of bringing prosperity to the forest’s edge. I could still clearly remember how when he cut down Tei Suun, he calmly stated, “Your Suun clan cast aside their pride to live without hardship, so what would you know of the pain of losing your child to starvation?”

“This time, we’ll be certain to raise a fine child. And it’s thanks to the Fa clan that I can look forward to it filled with hope rather than despair.”

As the clan head said that, Li Sudra smiled gently next to him. Despite the fact that they seemed more like father and child in terms of age, seeing them standing beside one another like that made it clear just how much love they shared.

It was then that a voice loudly exclaimed “Ah!” Looking that way, I found a young girl coming from beside the Sudra house, holding chopped firewood in her arms.

“Oh, perfect timing. Come over here and introduce yourself to Asuta, Yun. Asuta, this is Yun Sudra, the girl we want to have help you with work in the post town.”

After setting the firewood down at her feet, she timidly approached. She was a cute girl with gray-brown hair, a color rarer than even black at the forest’s edge, and she wore it in a ponytail out to the side. And she definitely had to be younger than me. She had a small build and pretty looks, with large bright eyes and slightly narrow lips.

This Yun Sudra girl had visited the Fa house plenty of times for cooking lessons. But we hadn’t had much in the way of one-on-one interaction, so the only strong impression I really had came from her unique hair color.

“U-Um, my name is Yun Sudra. I don’t know if I’ll be all that much help, but I look forward to working together,” she stated, her face beet red as she gave a deep bow. She was obviously quite nervous, but still, she seemed to be a healthy, energetic young girl.

“I’m Asuta of the Fa clan, and I look forward to working with you too. Err...will you be able to start working right away tomorrow?”

“Ah, if that’s what you need from her, then by all means. You can pay her based on how well she gets the work done,” the girl’s clan head offered.

“But from what I recall, the Sudra only have five women, right? Is it really okay for me to be taking two of them away?”

“Don’t worry, us men will take care of whatever we need to. We’ve gained enough strength through the power of delicious cooking to handle that much,” the middle-aged man declared resolutely, though his face still looked a bit sullen. “And if this girl isn’t handling things properly, then please speak up about it. We would want to replace her with someone else while Li can still move about freely.”

“I-I’ll definitely be a big help! I swear, I won’t bring shame to the Sudra name!” Yun Sudra declared, shooting me an enthusiastic look.

It was quite a contrast compared to the calm and composed Li Sudra, but I was definitely glad to see her so fired up.

“I don’t believe she should fall that far short of Li in regards to manning the stove. If you don’t mind, could you bring Yun along with you today so she can see you work?”

“Got it. I just have to get her back before sunset, right? Is that okay with you, Yun Sudra?”

“Of course! I’m grateful for the opportunity!” Yun Sudra replied as she once again bowed deeply, then she hopped on into the wagon as if to escape my gaze.

“Okay, I’ll take good care of her. By the way, umm... I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now, but there’s something I’ve never quite happened to pick up...”

“Yes? What is it?”

“The truth is, I’ve actually never heard your name, clan head of the Sudra...”

At that, the Sudra clan head’s eyes opened wide. And then, his face wrinkled up even further as he grinned.

“Oh, I’ve never told you my name before?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“I see. Well, it’s not like you need to know someone’s name to form a bond with them or anything, I suppose. Now that you mention it, I don’t believe I’ve ever heard the Fou or Ran clan heads’ names either,” he replied, scratching his head. “Still, it’s a strange feeling to be introducing myself after all this time... My name is Raielfam Sudra.”

“Huh? Sorry, could you say that again?”

“Raielfam Sudra. It’s a real old-fashioned name, isn’t it?”

“I-Is it? At any rate, I’ve never heard such a long name here at the forest’s edge before.”

“Supposedly such names weren’t all that rare back in my grandfather’s day. They say we people of the forest’s edge have mixed blood from the east, so maybe that tradition came from there.”

It was true that the members of the Silver Vase like Shumiral and Radajid had complex family names I had difficulty memorizing.

“I don’t remember too clearly, but I believe it means something like ‘fangs of the fierce apes.’ Supposedly our ancestors hunted creatures called black apes back in the forest to the south, so I believe my name contains the wish that I would grow to be a strong hunter. That’s why I take this name given to me by my grandfather as a point of pride.”

“Right. It’s a wonderful name. From now on, that’s how I’ll refer to you, Raielfam Sudra.”

“Very well. I hope to continue fostering a strong bond with your Fa clan from here on out, Asuta.”

At that, Raielfam Sudra’s already wrinkled face grew even more wrinkly as he broke out in a smile.